The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1887-12-27
CONSPIRACY CHANGED.
Ingenious Theory Held BY Homs Of Il
/, Strikers ConcsrninR tho Oneials.

.Nseas >nouty Aetu " b0mo OK I'M
Strikers Concerning tho. Ofneials.
PHlLADELpHlA, Dsc. 2o.-The leaders O.
the strikers, after long discussion among
themselves, have reached tho opinion thai
the officials ofthe company are playing .
double game In the coming sontroversy
for the purpose Of annlhllating the en-.
ployes' organization and OF gambling in
the rise and fall Of stocks Of the company.
The theory entertained by the leaders Ia
that the officials are engaged in conduct.
Ing a conspiracy, and this ID the way In
which the theory runs: ifEsss. ds
They say that last Sunday, when the
monthly convention Of the Reading EN-.
ployes' organisation was held at Eliza.
bethport, their intention to form their
new Trade Assembly 224 was well known
TO the company. At, that convention II
was intended to disband the old form OF
organisation, known as the "Reading
Railroad Employee Convention" which
pas existed one year, and erect the new to
take its place. It was found at the con.
vention, however, that only fvo local 49,
semblles had obtained their release in
due form from the district assemblies to
which they were attached, and conse-
quently the process Of transition
was not completed. According to
the conspiracy theory, these facts
were made known to the officials OF the
company, and they, thinking that the
new. organization consisted OF only FIVE
locals and no more deemed 1t would be
an easy matter to crush the organization
at that stage. Under the revised consti-
tuition Of the Knights Of Labor, to which
all the employees belong, no district can
inaugurate strike without the sanction
of the General Executive Board, and, the
unfavorable attitude against strikes as.
sumed by General Master Workman Pow.
derly being we'll known, 1t was thought
by the officials that the men would
not strike under any circumstances.
But the general strike begun .on Sat-
urdsy night was not ordered by District
Assembly 224, but by the old Reading
Employee Convention" which was not
required to consul! the General Executive
Board before taking any action, and con-
sequently did not consult them. In this, 1t
is claimed, the Reading officials we're out
Witted by the men and their calculations
were upset. To bear out the theory Of
conspiracy the leaders OF the strikers
point to the fact that the men at Elizabeth.
port wero not discharged for refusing to
handle the coal intended for Coke Bros. l.
Co.'s customers until Friday, although the
bargeH had lain there for two weeks pre-.
vious. -T.U l,tgN', ="
Again they point to the fact that the
company flooded Port Richmond on Fri
day with police officers two hours before
the coal hands Of that point struck, thus
tending to show that the company de-
sired to ,precipitats strike. The men at
Port Richmond say that they had no in.
tention on Friday to 70 on a strike, and
did so eventually through the irritation
they experienced in bsing subjected to
police surveillance. "By running down
the stocks OF the company by precipi,ating
q strike like this, which can not last long,"
declared those who entertained the theory,
the officials can gamble in the stocks at
the came time they are attempting to
crush our organization" saS